Foundation Fighting Blindness: 2015 Research Breakthroughs

At the Laser Vision Correction Center of New Jersey, we are more than just a state-of-the-art ophthalmology practice offering LASIK, PRK, and other technologically advanced solutions to vision problems. We are also a pillar of the community, comprising caring professionals devoted to the betterment of humankind. Dr. Kenneth S. Miller and his team believe wholeheartedly in a future in which blindness, whether due to inherited retinal diseases or due to conditions such as glaucoma or cataracts, no longer poses a threat to the vision of hundreds of millions of people worldwide.

As an experienced ophthalmologist who has participated in research on retinal disorders and glaucoma, Dr. Miller salutes the Foundation Fighting Blindness (FFB), an organization that has been leading the fight against diseases that cause blindness since 1971. FFB recently published its annual research report, covering its activities from July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2015. Dr. Miller is proud to share the highlights of this report with you now. He further invites you to support FFB in its endeavors and to join them in their efforts to make blindness a thing of the past.

Research Breakthroughs 2014-2015: Foundation Fighting Blindness

Research breakthroughs included:

The launch of another choroideremia trial: Choroideremia is a rare inherited disorder marked by progressive vision loss that primarily affects males. It eventually results in blindness. In early 2015, Spark Therapeutics, a Philadelphia-based company, became the first American research team to launch a clinical trial for a gene therapy targeting choroideremia. Currently, two other research teams, one in England and one in Canada, are conducting simultaneous clinical trials.

A groundbreaking retinal progenitor (RP) stem cell therapy: A clinical trial for this RP stem cell therapy, which FFB funded in its pre-clinical stages, was approved by the FDA. The clinical trial is being conducted by ReNeuron and is the first for an RP stem cell therapy. The therapy involves the injection of retinal progenitor cells beneath the retina, with the hopes that they will evolve into functional photoreceptors. The lead investigator of the trial is Dr. Eric Pierce, former chairman of FFB’s Scientific Advisory Board.

The next generation of bionic retina: You may remember the Argus II, colloquially known as the bionic retina. Second Sight, creator of that extraordinary technology, is developing a device that will circumvent the eye altogether and deliver images directly to the brain. If successful, this device - the Orion I - will have the capacity to restore vision to people suffering from a full array of vision-robbing diseases, not just retinal diseases. The clinical trial for the Orion I will hopefully begin in 2017.

Please contact us to learn more about our practice and the services we provide. Whether you are interested in laser vision correction or you are suffering from an eye condition such as glaucoma or dry eye, we offer comprehensive vision care. We look forward to hearing from you.